In the fields of processing, storing, shipping and distributing merchandise there is a large economic advantage in handling the merchandise in containers as unit loads. There is an additional large economic advantage if the container utilized for each of the above types of operations is well suited for all the types of operations to which it is likely to be subjected. In processing merchandise it is normally necessary to move the merchandise from one work station to another, to place merchandise into a container, and to remove the merchandise from the container. Consequently, it is highly desirable that a container readily permit all of these operations. Merchandise is normally moved about plants and warehouses by means of gravity and powdered roller conveyors, unit load carrier vehicles, platform trucks, forklift trucks, and the like and a useful container must be adapted to be moved in such a manner or by such vehicles.
In order to prevent damage to merchandise, it is highly desirable that the container that is being loaded be capable of permitting a person who is filling the container to place the merchandise onto the floor of the container without having to drop the merchandise. For speed, fatigue reduction, and prevention of damage to the merchandise, it is also desirable that the person loading the container not be required to either at a the waist when placing merchandise onto the floor of the container or drop the merchandise to the floor of the container. An economical container for processing merchandise should also be capable of being emptied by mechanical means, such as dumpers and the like which discharge the merchandise through the top or other opening of the container. At the same time it is also desirable to have a container which can be easily emptied, if desired, by manual means by providing clear access to the container or its merchandise In order to efficiently utilize space, it is necessary to store merchandise in a vertical fashion so that the use of floor area is minimized. Consequently, a useful container should be capable of being stacked or tiered to six or more levels in height. Moreover, the containers should be capable of being easily tiered by means of highlift/forklift devices or the like.
It is also important in the operations of shipping and distributing merchandise to efficiently utilize the cubic capacity of the transport vehicle. An economical shipping container should have a configuration which will efficiently utilize the cubic and weight capacity of a large variety of vehicles; including highway vehicles, pick-up trucks, railway gondola cars and aircraft. A properly configured container is important since it eliminates the need to transfer merchandise from one type of a container to another. From an economical standpoint, it is also highly desirable to have a container which can be broken down or collapsed when it is empty in order to substantially reduce its volume so that on return shipment of empty containers the cost of shipping, which is most often base on cubic volume, can be minimized. Furthermore, such a container should be easily broken down or collapsed and be capable of being erected quickly by one man without using tools. Furthermore, a container should have few pieces so that its parts are not susceptable to becoming misplaced.
There have been many attempts in the past to obtain these desirable characteristics in a container for handling merchandise and in particular there are a variety of collapsible containers that have been developed in the past. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,446,415; 3,557,855; and 3,570,698 all disclose containers and the like that have end panels which are rotatable inward to permit the containers to be collapsed into a fairly compact package. U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,894 also discloses a shipping container that has removable and slidable end panels. U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,814 also discloses a collapsible shipping container that has slidable and removable end and said panels. Although these patents illustrate a number of collapsible shipping containers that have been developed in the past, they are suffer from various deficiencies. For instance, the collapsible containers disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,446,415; 3,557,855 and 3,570,698 do not permit ready access to merchandise that is located in the container. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,415 all of the sides and end panels rotate outwardly and thus interfer with access to articles in the container. Furthermore, the end panels must be folded in before sides can be released. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,698, the sides of the container interfere with access to articles located in the container since they cannot be folded until the articles are removed from the container. The collapsible container disclosed in U.S. No. 3,557,855 has wires or ropes that interfere with the convenient loading or removal of articles from the container and also to top lid is required for rigidity. U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,814 discloses a shipping container that has a large number of parts that can easily be lost or mislaid. Moreover, none of these above referenced patents discloses a collapsible lightweight container that has the capability of being readily stackable.
The collapsible container of this invention overcomes many disadvantages associated with previous collapsible containers and provides a container having a lightweight structure which is readily stackable and has few parts that can be lost or mislaid. Moreover, the collapsible container of this invention can be easily erected or collapsed, be easily loaded or unloaded and can be readily moved about.